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“Get Marc Goddard Out of the Sport” – Merab Dvalishvili, Muhammad Mokaev, and Fans Hammer Down on Ref After Questionable Decision During Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira at UFC 295

Published 11/12/2023, 6:17 AM EST

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UFC 295 was a PPV that would go down in the history books as one of the greatest UFC events ever hosted. The main event featured a light heavyweight title fight between Jiri Prochazka and Alex Pereira. The bout was especially significant as it determined the fate of the division and the fans were here for it. Nonetheless, the ending wasn’t what the fans were expecting and many were even left disappointed.

There were two fights that the fans were looking forward to. One was the light heavyweight fight and the other was the UFC 295 heavyweight bout between Tom Aspinall and Sergei Pavlovich. While Aspinall won via a KO, Pereira secured a win by TKO/KO in the second round. Though fans were celebrating Pereira’s win, they were not very satisfied with the way referee Marc Goddard ended the fight.

The controversial ending to the UFC 295 main event

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Former middleweight fighter and current light heavyweight champ Alex Pereira secured a win over Prochazka inside two rounds of their fight. However, what the fans did have a problem with was the refereeing of Marc Goddard. Goddard was the official for the Jiri Prochazka vs. Alex Pereira fight, and to many, his performance was not up to the mark.

Prochazka was wobbled quite early on in the fight as Pereira landed a kick to his injured leg. Prochazka still managed to take Pereira to the ground. However, in the second round, Pereira started pounding Prochazka’s head with vicious elbows in response to a takedown attempt from the former champion. This move came after Pereira dropped him with two vicious hooks that landed clean. Goddard stopped the fight as Pereira continued to rain down elbows and punches, even though it looked like Prochazka still had fight left in him.

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Even UFC commentator Joe Rogan has questioned the early stoppage. Merab Dvalishvili also sent out a tweet that read: “BULLSH*T EARLY STOPPAGE!!! MARC GODDARD DOES IT AGAIN!!! WE ARE FIGHTERS, LET US FIGHT!!! #UFC295“.

 

UFC featherweight fighter Muhammad Mokaev also expressed his discontent with a tweet that said, “Horrible stoppage“.

 

But it didn’t end there – the fans also had their share of things to say about the fight and it’s conclusion.

Fans rip apart UFC official Marc Goddard for early stoppage in Prochazka vs. Pereira

When Pereira and Prochazka went to the ground and ‘Poatan’ was hammering away on his opponent’s head, Prochazka was still putting up a fight. Or that’s what it looked like to many fans and pros. However, Goddard ended the fight and the fans are of the idea that the stop came in earlier than it should have. Now, the fans are up in arms about it. UFC recently posted a video of Pereira taking the win with a caption that read: “Poatan does it again. He gets the finish in round 2 to become the LHW champion! #UFC295“. The fans flocked to the comment section to question Goddard’s judgment.

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Most people were outraged by the stoppage and blamed Goddard for not giving Jiri a fighting chance.

 

In fact, even Pereira fans were unhappy with the refereeing.

The nightmare didn’t end there for Goddard as other fans also joined the comment section with similar grievances.

Another fan doubled down on that.

One fan even suggested that Marc Goddard should be fired.

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Another said that Goddard shouldn’t have jumped the gun.

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This wouldn’t be the first time that the fans have been unhappy with the way that Marc Goddard has called important UFC fights. Will Dana White step in? What does Marc Goddard have to say in his defense?

Watch This Story – Alex Pereira reveals why he got ‘stone face’ as his ‘child’

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Written by:

Arghyadeep Ghosh

446Articles

One take at a time

Hi, I am Arghyadeep, a UFC Writer at EssentiallySports. Being brought up alongside two brothers who were avid WWE fans, I had no option but to watch alongside them and sometimes even partake in their ‘re-enactments’. However, I found myself gravitating towards combat sports soon after.
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Edited by:

Joyita Das